Newcastle United have their eyes on Chelsea goalkeeper Mike Penders for the summer.
That’s according to Jeunes Footeux, who cover the latest on Newcastle United’s interest and what it means to RC Strasbourg.
Last summer, the 20-year-old arrived at Stamford Bridge, a year after Chelsea agreed a deal with KRC Genk.
Penders was part of the Blues squad for the Club World Cup but failed to make it to Enzo Maresca’s core plans at the west London club.
The Italian had Robert Sánchez as his No.1, with Filip Jørgensen and Gabriel Slonina as second and third choice. The trio have maintained their roles after Liam Rosenior replaced Maresca in January.
In July 2025, Chelsea allowed Penders to join Strasbourg on a season-long loan deal. The move has allowed him to enjoy regular minutes, which wouldn’t have been possible at the Premier League side.
Newcastle United interested in Belgian
The Chelsea man has kept nine clean sheets and conceded 39 goals from 33 matches in all competitions for the Ligue 1 side. As he’s on dry loan, Sport Witness recently covered claims from France of Strasbourg’s interest in Leeds United’s Illan Meslier.
Penders’ performances have seen Eddie Howe’s side now take notice. Rosenior’s side plan for the Belgian is to compete for the No.1 spot in medium to long-term. However, there’s nothing promised yet and the Magpies seem to be aware of this.
Newcastle United have joined the chase for the Belgian and laid out initial groundwork to try and sign him.
According to the report, the Tyneside club made enquires, without specifying whether they contacted Chelsea, Penders’ agent or both.
Why Newcastle United are looking at Penders
Eddie Howe now has Nick Pope, Aaron Ramsdale and Mark Gillespie as the three stoppers at his disposal.
Ramsdale is on loan from Southampton, while Pope and Gillespie have contracts expiring in June. Therefore, it makes sense for the Magpies to start looking for stoppers for next season.
Strasbourg, for their part, dream of extending Penders’ stay, likely on a fresh loan deal. Newcastle United can crush their hope but a potential move depends on both Chelsea and the player.